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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23916745">Post Finem</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdIronsides/pseuds/EdIronsides'>EdIronsides</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:00:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,981</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23916745</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdIronsides/pseuds/EdIronsides</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The World is finally free, but it remains as violent and divided as ever. Powerful pirates clash with the reformed Republican Marines over the seas. Kings and despots battle it out on land, the strength of entire nations at their command. All the while, the World and its people reel from the after-effects of a global war.</p>
<p>Despite this, life goes on. People grow, hope and dream, fight and fall in love. A collection of connected stories set after the World Revolution, with old and new faces alike.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Knight and the Saint</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I do not own any right to any part of the One Piece franchise. I make no money off of this, and hopefully, no one else does either.</p>
<p>Also a huge shoutout to my Beta. I would never have gotten this far without her.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>3 years after Liberation</em>
</p><hr/>
<p>Aurelia eyed the young woman sleeping fitfully beside her. She’d done her best to treat the woman’s wounds, but it seemed that she was suffering more from Haki exhaustion than anything.</p>
<p>The strange armor that she wore showed the marks of an intense battle. The scarlet metal it was crafted from had been dull and felt flimsy beneath her hand - despite weighing what felt like half a ton - when she’d dragged the woman out of the waves, but hours later, it seemed to glisten in the starlight with a life of its own.</p>
<p>Even with her features twisted into a grimace, the woman was beautiful. Her charcoal black hair was scattered in the sand around her head like a halo, long lashes flitted above eyes that danced to and fro beneath their lids, and a scatter of freckles crossed her nose from cheek to cheek.</p>
<p>The woman muttered something under her breath, something that sounded an awful lot like “Gwayne.”</p>
<p>The woman had been muttering the name since she’d found her. She only knew a single Gwayne, and it wasn’t a very common name, but… surely not.</p>
<p>Several yards away, the ground exploded.</p>
<p>Aurelia grasped the hilt of the greatsword strapped to her back and pulled it out in a flash, putting herself between the threat and the unconscious woman.</p>
<p>Her heart jolted as a creature stepped out from the cloud of sand. Under any other circumstance - and even this one, truth be told - she would have been in awe of such a beast. </p>
<p>Standing nearly twice the size of a horse, sleek black feathers traveled down the creature’s back until they gave way to spotted gray fur and the haunches of some sort of cat. A sharp beak hung beneath the curious and eerily intelligent eyes of a raven, and its front legs ended in wicked talons that would put the utility knife tucked into her pack to shame. The creature stretched out its massive wings lazily, the shade covering a good portion of the beach.</p>
<p>A gryphon. She’d seen them from afar back home on Medeis, but those had been a mix of eagle and lion. Still, this one seemed no less regal nor less dangerous than the ones back home. It walked with a pompous air, strutting up to them and paying her about as much mind as one would an ant.</p>
<p>It gazed down at the woman, then turned to her. Aurelia had the distinct impression that she was being measured.</p>
<p>The gryphon huffed once and then turned away, taking several steps down the beach and lying down.</p>
<p>Aurelia stood rooted in place, her hand still on her sword. She wasn’t sure what had just happened, but the gryphon was back to ignoring her. It clearly had some sort of connection to the unconscious woman.</p>
<p>That reminded her. She’d heard stories of a place where warriors in Haki infused armor rode gryphons into battle. The Fiefs of Eris, constantly at odds with Wano Country and the Qawani Federation due to their proximity. That was way off in the New World though. What could one of them be doing in the middle of the East Blue?</p>
<p>At least she didn’t have to wonder long. With a final lurch and a cry of “Tempete!,” the woman bolted to her feet, much faster than anyone in her state should have been able to. Upon seeing Aurelia with her sword in hand, the woman drew her own longsword from the scabbard across her hips.</p>
<p>She shouted in an odd, flowing language, showcasing abnormally long, pointed canines. She kept her sword trained on Aurelia, and her glare indicated that she was expecting an answer.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Aurelia said, putting her sword back in its scabbard to indicate that she meant no harm. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”</p>
<p>“Pfft,” the woman huffed, stowing her sword. She spoke in a lightly accented common tongue. “I forget zat you barbarians only speak in ze Ancient Tongue.”</p>
<p>“Well, we’re off to a great start already,” Aurelia muttered.</p>
<p>Nearby, the gryphon cawed, drawing the woman’s attention. The woman’s face lit up in an instant, and she dashed over to the gryphon, kicking the sand behind her several feet into the air.</p>
<p>“Tempete!” the woman shouted, throwing herself at the gryphon and cooing to it in her language. The gryphon nuzzled her face for a few seconds and then squawked harshly. The woman flinched, speaking to it apologetically.</p>
<p>Aurelia didn’t understand what the woman was saying, but if she didn’t know any better, she’d say that it looked like the gryphon was scolding her.</p>
<p>The woman and the gryphon exchanged a few more flurries of words and angry squawks before she turned away, her face flushed and her lips extended in a pout. She cleared her throat, refusing to meet Aurelia’s eyes. “I… hear you saved my life.”</p>
<p>“You know what?” Aurelia said, glancing between the woman and the gryphon. “I’m not even gonna ask.”</p>
<p>The woman cleared her throat once more. “I am Lady Edith Cutter, Disciple of Sir Seran Cutter and Armiger of Lady Rosaline Cutter, bearer of the Scarlet Starset.”</p>
<p>There was a pause as the woman finally looked at her.</p>
<p>“I’m Aurelia,” she said.</p>
<p>The woman waited, apparently expecting her to say more.</p>
<p>“...of Medeis?” Aurelia said.</p>
<p>“Aurelia of Medeis, you have my gratitude for saving my life,” Edith said, bowing her head. The gryphon squawked, and Edith flinched. “And my apologies for brandishing my blade at you.”</p>
<p>“Don’t mention it,” Aurelia said, fighting the urge to laugh. “What were you doing out here, anyway?”</p>
<p>Edith quirked a brow as if deciding whether or not it was any of her business. Aurelia knew that it wasn’t, but she couldn’t help but be curious.</p>
<p>“I am searching for someone,” Edith finally said.</p>
<p>“Someone named Gwayne?” Aurelia said.</p>
<p>The woman’s brows shot up into her bangs. “How did you know?”</p>
<p>This time, Aurelia couldn’t keep herself from giggling. “You talk in your sleep.”</p>
<p>Edith muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like a curse. “You wouldn’t happen to know him, would you? I hear he’s rather famous around here.”</p>
<p>“You wouldn’t be talking about Gwayne the White Hawk, would you? Because in that case, yes, I know that idiot.”</p>
<p>Edith’s eyes lit up, seeming to sparkle even in the dim starlight.</p>
<p>“Last I heard he was tangling with some Marine Admiral near Loguetown,” Aurelia said. “He might be back on the Grand Line by now, though. What do you need him for, anyway? He’s nothing but trouble.”</p>
<p>The woman blushed beautifully, and for the first time, a smile appeared on her lips, warm and tender as a setting sun. Aurelia’s breath caught in her throat, and she did her best to sear the image into her memory.</p>
<p>No way, she thought. How’d Gwayne of all people manage to catch the eye of someone like this?</p>
<p>The woman spoke, her voice silky smooth and pleasant to the ears. “I’m going to kill him.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Aurelia said, deflating like a leaking balloon. Yep, that seemed about right.</p>
<p>“So how can I repay your kindness, Aurelia of Medeis?” Edith said. “I am afraid I do not have much zat I can give for ze moment.”</p>
<p>“You ride that gryphon around, right?” Aurelia said, nodding at the creature. The gryphon nodded back, much to her consternation. It seemed that she’d have to stop thinking of it like an animal. “Can you take me with you? I’ve been stranded on this island for a couple of days now, and I’d rather not take another solo raft ride if I can help it. They’re terribly dull.”</p>
<p>Edith smiled, moving over to the gryphon and hopping onto its spacious back with the litheness of a cat. “It would not be very knightly of me to leave you stranded here, even had you not saved my life. Come aboard, Aurelia of Medeis.”</p>
<p>Aurelia grinned. She was finally going to leave this cursed patch of sand. “Where’s the saddle?”</p>
<p>Edith looked at her like she was crazy. “Saddle? You barbarians do use such devices, don’t you? Tempete is no beast of burden.”</p>
<p>Aurelia decided to stay quiet and simply clamber on as best she could. She didn’t have a fear of heights, but she did have a fear of falling.</p>
<p>“So how did you become stranded here, Aurelia of Medeis?” Edith said.</p>
<p>“Just Aurelia’s fine. Freak tempest washed me overboard off my ship a couple of days ago,” Aurelia said, grimacing. It had been so dark and the waves so high that she doubted there was any way her crew could have found her in the water.</p>
<p>“What a coincidence,” Edith said, patting Tempete on the side of the neck. The gryphon’s wings extended in a flurry of feathers, and Aurelia gasped as the muscles in its back rippled beneath her. When she looked down, the island seemed little more than a speck in the distance.</p>
<p>Edith continued speaking as if they weren’t free flying through the air at hundreds of miles an hour with no sort of restraint, though she did have to shout to be heard over the roar of the wind. “I too was swept from Tempete’s back by a storm, though I could not tell you how long ago it was. It might even have been ze same one zat took you. Seems we were fated to meet, Aurelia.”</p>
<p>“Seems like it. What were you doing out in a tempest?”</p>
<p>Edith’s eyes darkened. “I was chasing a group of rogues. They took something from me, and I’d have liked it back. They’re probably too far to track now, but if I run into them again…”</p>
<p>Interesting. “What did they take?”</p>
<p>The knight patted the empty pistol holster at her waist forlornly. “My starsilver pistol, Sombre, gifted to me by my armsmaster. It was rather precious to me, I must say. I hope to find it again soon.”</p>
<p>Uh oh. Just before the tempest had rolled in, the captain had been showing off a beautiful pistol that she’d swiped off some bumpkin in the last town.</p>
<p>“Perhaps you know of these rogues? Their captain goes by Selda the Raven, if I recall,” Edith said. “They’re a subordinate crew under one Eustass Kid.”</p>
<p>“Sorry, never heard of them,” Aurelia said.</p>
<p>Well, this was awkward. How was she supposed to tell Edith that she was a member of said rogue’s crew? Ah well, she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. Hopefully never.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Son of God</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>22 years after Liberation</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Isopp looked around at the town in astonishment. What could his father be doing in a place like this?</p>
<p>It was dirty. Much dirtier even than the seaside district back on Cata. The buildings were in various states of disrepair, and he would never have believed some of them were inhabited until he saw someone stumble out of them. The streets were in no better state. The thick layer of mud and filth that covered them hid the fact that they were paved, and also laced the air with a pungent… something that he couldn’t quite describe. It didn’t just smell <em> bad </em>. It was enough to cause him physical discomfort.</p>
<p>And the <em> people </em>. He’d never been one to judge based on appearance, but he had to draw the line somewhere. Most of them looked capable of gutting a man for a 10k note, and the rest looked capable of paying them to do it.</p>
<p>He was attracting a lot more gazes than he would have liked, which made sense, considering he was the only child he’d seen since stepping off the ship. Still, even the worst of them wouldn’t hurt a kid, would they?</p>
<p>The longer he stood in one spot, the less sure he became, so he chose the least sinister-looking person in his line of sight. A slim brunette in her 30s, dressed in a frilly, wine-red dress that was so immaculate it almost seemed to glow in comparison to the rest of the town. She sat smoking a pipe in front of what looked to be an abandoned shop. At least, he thought it was abandoned until a man came flying out of the second-story window.</p>
<p>The woman paid the fallen man no mind, and puffed several smoke rings out of her mouth, grimacing as a couple of them came out imperfectly. The man picked himself up off the ground, sprinting away from the building without so much as a glance backward.</p>
<p>“Scuse me, miss?” Isopp said, knitting his brows in a way that often got him sympathy from the grown-ups back home.</p>
<p>The woman paused, smoke pipe halfway to her lips. She turned to him, and Isopp noted that she only had a single, yellow eye. The other was covered in a blood-red eyepatch.</p>
<p>“What do you want, brat?” she said, her voice about as gruff as he’d expected.</p>
<p>Isopp dropped the lost child act immediately. This wasn’t the kind of person it would work on. “I was hoping you’d know where I could find someone.”</p>
<p>The woman chuckled. A thoroughly unpleasant sound. “You’re Usopp’s kid, aren’t ye? Ye look just like him if he were blond. Same nose, same eyes… Wonder if ye got the same gall, too. What are ye doing alone in a place like this, little Usopp?”</p>
<p>“My name’s Isopp,” he said, frowning. Something about this woman rubbed him the wrong way. He was beginning to wonder if he’d have been better off talking to one of the other cutthroats.</p>
<p>The woman grinned, showing off her full set of teeth. Isopp noted that they were all filed down to a point, like a fishman’s. “I’m Valeria. Pleasure to meet ye, little Isopp.”</p>
<p>“You too,” Isopp said, even though he didn’t really mean it.</p>
<p>“You’re looking for your da, I’m guessing,” Valeria said, taking another puff of her pipe. “Heard he was in town. Didn’t know he’d brought his kid with him. Figured even <em> he’d </em>know better.”</p>
<p>Isopp broke eye contact with the woman. Nobody had noticed that he’d stowed away aboard the dilapidated looking ship that had brought his father to the island. He’d always been good at hiding, and the charm that his father had given him hid his aura, whatever that even meant.</p>
<p>Valeria sat up straighter in her seat and dumped the contents of her pipe onto the ground, suddenly much more interested in him. A shiver ran up his spine as the woman’s single eye locked onto him. “Wait… He doesn't know you're here, does he…”</p>
<p>Isopp began backing away as every cell in his body screamed at him to get away from this woman. He’d made a terrible mistake. Out of everyone there, she was the most dangerous by far.</p>
<p>“Your da isn’t too popular with some folks round here, lad,” Valeria said, the shark-toothed grin never slipping from her face. “None of ‘em are brave enough to pick a fight with him, but his boy? Why they’d want to find out just how much he’s worth to the Lord o’ Liars.”</p>
<p>The woman stood up and began walking towards him with a heavy limp. Even with his mind clouded by fear, Isopp saw that one of her legs was prosthetic, and he felt a twinge of sympathy.</p>
<p>Valeria stopped in her tracks, her smile widening. “Sympathy? For <em> me </em>? You’ve got a good heart, lad. And the devil’s luck.”</p>
<p>Isopp felt a hand on his shoulder, and a familiar, velvety voice spoke from behind him. “Valeria. What brings you to this place? Seems rather seedy for your tastes.”</p>
<p>“I could ask ye the same,” Valeria said, eyeing the newcomer up and down. Her black hair was tied into a bun to keep it out of her eyes, which were an icy blue. Her outfit was dull and uninteresting, but the simple fact that it was <em> clean </em> made it stand out. “Last I heard, ye were working with Cipher Pol. Whatcha doing all the way out here...”</p>
<p>“Aunt Robin!” Isopp yelled, turning around and throwing his arms around the woman’s waist. He was always happy to see her, but right now, it was as if an angel had descended from the heavens.</p>
<p>Robin smiled sweetly at him, patting his head. “Hello, Isopp.”</p>
<p>She returned her gaze to Valeria, a steely glint in her eye that Isopp had never seen before. “You might want to move on, Valeria. You’re starting to attract attention.”</p>
<p>Isopp looked around. Most of the cutthroats were barely paying them any mind. What sort of attention was Robin talking about?</p>
<p>“Well, wouldn’t want that, would we,” Valeria said. She finally turned away, calling out to Isopp as she walked down the street. “Be careful of strangers, lad. Most of ‘em aren’t as friendly as yours truly.”</p>
<p>Isopp watched her go for several seconds before Robin gripped his hand and tugged him along, leading him in the opposite direction. He looked behind him, but Valeria was already out of sight. He truly hoped he’d never run into her again.</p>
<p>“How did you get here, Isopp,” Robin said.</p>
<p>“On the same ship my papa came here in,” Isopp said. They must have reached the island during the night, for when Usopp had awakened earlier in the morning, his father was already gone.</p>
<p>Robin frowned, tilting her head down to look at him. “It’s true that you have no aura. Did your father give you something to hide you from haki users?”</p>
<p>“Haki users? I don’t know much about that, but he did give me this.” Isopp reached into his shirt and pulled the silver pendant from around his neck, handing the necklace to Robin. “He gave Mama one too.”</p>
<p>The woman inspected the trinket, seeming surprised at how much it weighed. It was a simple sphere made of a bluish metal, its surface covered in a strange, wavy pattern.</p>
<p>“That explains it,” Robin said, handing the pendant back down to Isopp. “Erisian starsilver. Never take that off if you can help it, kiddo.”</p>
<p>Isopp slipped the pendant back around his neck, tucking it back into his shirt.</p>
<p>“Now, Isopp,” Robin said, her voice growing sterner. “What you did was irresponsible and dangerous. What came over you?”</p>
<p>Isopp pouted. Robin had never scolded him before, and he didn’t much like it. “This is the fifth time this year Papa’s gone off without telling us where. Mama doesn’t say anything about it, but… she’s been kinda glum ever since Viccy left, and her birthday’s next week. This is the second year in a row Papa’ll miss it.”</p>
<p>Something flashed across Robin’s face for the briefest moment. Isopp struggled to make out what it had been, but it had seemed rather similar to <em> guilt. </em></p>
<p>“What your father is doing is very important, kiddo. More so than you’d understand.”</p>
<p>“Everyone says that,” Isopp said. “It’s not that I don’t believe them. I just wanted to see it for myself. And if it <em> was </em>important like they all say…”</p>
<p>Robin smiled. “You’d forgive him?”</p>
<p>“Well, yeah,” Isopp said. It had all seemed so simple a couple of days ago when he’d snuck aboard the ship.</p>
<p>Robin sighed. “I won’t scold you too much over this. Maybe it’s my fault too, for relying on your father so much, but Isopp, did you ever stop to think what your mother’s feeling right now?”</p>
<p>A sinking feeling welled up in Isopp’s gut, and he didn’t even notice that he was crying until he felt a tear fall from the tip of his nose.</p>
<p>“I screwed up,” he said, wiping his sleeve across his eyes.</p>
<p>“We all do, kiddo,” Robin said, squeezing his hand. “I still have to brief your father and Zoro, but afterward I’ll take you home myself.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Swordsman's Respite</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>22 years after Liberation</em>
</p><hr/><p>Zoro had learned to appreciate silence more than anything else in the world. It was a lovely thing, being alone with your thoughts. Not that he had anything against people, but being swarmed by hopefuls clamoring to be his disciple day in and day out was nothing short of exhausting.</p><p>Not to mention the myriad of challengers. He wondered if this was what Mihawk had gone through. Not that it helped anything to worry about such things now.</p><p>He rested his head against the soft wood of the beech tree he was sitting in, kicking his legs up onto a more comfortable position on the branches and taking another bite of the large drumstick he was eating. He wasn’t sure what the massive bird it came from actually <em> was </em>, but it was edible.</p><p>The plain food was almost enough to make him miss their old cook. The curly-browed buffoon had been infuriating at the best of times, but he did know how to whip up something tasty from just about anything they brought him.</p><p>He’d come alone to this island in the middle of the South Blue. It made the perfect retreat. Plenty of food, water, and shade, excellent vistas, and best of all, it was so remote that he didn’t even know its name.</p><p>Of course, that was also due to the fact that he wasn’t entirely sure <em> where </em> he was. He had a strange feeling that he’d originally been trying to get somewhere else, but that couldn’t be right. That would mean that he was lost, and that was impossible.</p><p>He hadn’t even told the other Strawhats where he was heading. Not that they’d miss him very much. All of them seemed busy with their own lives these days. <em> Except </em> for him.</p><p>He’d return to society eventually. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was forgetting something important, and surely there was <em> something </em> for him to strive for in the whole wide World. For now though, he’d enjoy the silence.</p><p>At least, that’s what he’d hoped would happen, until he felt a familiar presence approaching the island.</p><p>“Just can’t catch a break,” he thought.</p><p>It didn’t take long for her to reach him. Like a leaf drifting in the wind, she floated up to him, looking for all the world like his very existence annoyed her. She was well into her 40s now, but she hadn’t changed at all from the first time he’d met her all those years ago. Pink hair, big eyes, disgustingly frilly dress. She even still carried around that silly little parasol he’d given her around the time Isopp was born.</p><p>Perona curled her lip at him as if she were gazing at a cockroach. He sorely regretted ever giving her a piece of his vivre card. The only piece he’d ever given out, incidentally.</p><p>“After all these years, you’re still bringing me nothing but trouble,” she said.</p><p>“You’re the one that came here,” Zoro said, matching her glare. “It was nice and quiet before you showed up.”</p><p>A vein popped out in Perona’s temple, and Zoro nearly flinched as one of her creepy hollows peered out from behind her shoulder. He’d always hated those stupid ghost things of hers.</p><p>“I got a visit from that <em> lovely </em> crewmate of yours. Nico Robin,” Perona said. “Threatened me with all sorts of nasty things if I didn’t use the vivre piece you gave me to find you.”</p><p>Robin? Oh yeah. He was supposed to meet up with her and Usopp at some point. Whatever had happened to that?</p><p>Perona’s face knit itself into a mask of rage. “Damn you! You forgot, didn’t you? You were supposed to meet with her <em> two months ago </em> . You up and vanished off the face of the World, and your old crewmates were so desperate that they called <em> me </em> up. And you’re such a meat-headed buffoon that you don’t even understand why that’s a problem!”</p><p>Ah. He remembered now. Robin had asked him to come to such and such island for his help in dealing with such and such problem. He also vaguely recalled her saying that she’d send a Cipher Pol agent to fetch him, otherwise he’d get lost again, but he’d be damned if he let himself get escorted by a government agent. He’d get there on his own.</p><p>Except that he hadn’t. Whoops.</p><p>“Eh, it’s fine,” Zoro said. “I’m sure Usopp handled… whatever it was.”</p><p>“No, he didn’t!” Perona scowled, closing her parasol and perching herself on one of the nearby branches. “He got tied up dealing with Aurelia at Reverse Mountain and a couple of kids named Viccy and Emil had to deal with it, and not very well. The whole thing was a mess. I hear they <em> still </em>haven’t raised Grove 2 off the seafloor.”</p><p>“Well, <em> they </em> handled it then,” Zoro said, leaning his head into his arms and closing his eyes. “All’s well that ends well.”</p><p>Perona sighed, poking him in the ribs with her parasol. “Look, bonehead. I know this might be hard for you to wrap your head around, but your crewmates aren’t just looking for you because they miss those swords you carry. They’re worried about <em> you. </em>”</p><p>“<em> Why </em>?” Zoro said, genuinely confused.</p><p>He could handle himself. The other Strawhats knew that better than anyone. Now Chopper… There was someone worth worrying about. He wondered how the little guy was doing. He’d have to check in on him sometime.</p><p>Perona had still been talking for over a minute while he’d zoned out, though he didn’t realize that until the negative hollow went through his face and out the back of his head. He immediately went limp, flopping off the tree like a wet towel.</p><p>Mercifully, the next few seconds were a bit of a blur. He dragged himself off the ground before the dust had fully settled, fighting the sudden urge to eat dirt like the useless worm he wa-</p><p>Wait, that wasn’t right.</p><p>“Dammit woman!” he shouted.</p><p>The offending hollow peered out from over Perona’s shoulder, sticking its tongue out at him as Perona hovered just out of reach.</p><p>Oh, how he <em> hated </em>those things…</p><p>“Serves you right,” Perona said, sticking up her nose at him. “I don’t know why I even bother. If a bullet can’t get through that thick skull of yours, why would words?”</p><p>What was she talking about? That depended on both the bullet itself and the person who fired it. It’s not like he was immortal. Unless… Maybe, that wasn’t the point she was trying to make? Then why would she say it like that?</p><p>He didn’t really understand women - or most men, for that matter - but Perona had always been especially perplexing. She never seemed to mean anything she said. Like right now. She claimed that he never brought her anything but trouble, and yet she’d gone out of her way to find him.</p><p>Which brought to mind another thought. “If it was such a pain to come find me, why didn’t you just give my vivre card to Robin when she went to see you?”</p><p>Perona said nothing, though judging by the reddened tip of her ears, he’d somehow managed to upset her.</p><p>“You haven’t changed at all,” she said, scowling. “You were blind then and you’re blind now.”</p><p>Well, that stung. Perhaps it was true that he hadn’t changed, but why would he want to? The World had changed around him, but it was difficult to call it <em> better </em> . Just <em> different </em>. Everyone else he knew had simply adapted and moved on with their lives.</p><p>Well, except for one person. She was always showing up unannounced at the best and worst times, never had anything nice to say, and was always as likely to sic a hollow onto him as help him out.</p><p>It was strangely comforting to know that there was one person that had changed even less than he had. He smiled, and Perona cocked her head, her pink curls bobbing like springs.</p><p>“What?” she said, the tips of her ears flaring up again.</p><p>“It’s just you and me against the World, I guess,” he said, mounting his swords onto his sash. “Alright, take me to Robin. I want to get all the yelling over with.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Twixt the Raven and the Rose</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>3 years after Liberation</em>
</p><hr/><p>Wei Lang watched as his captain twirled the silver crown in his hands, admiring the way that it seemed to shimmer independently from the sunlight. It was a beautiful thing, he had to admit, but they probably had more important things to focus on at the moment.</p><p>“Is now really the time to be playing with that thing?” Lang said.</p><p>Captain Gwayne raised his head, his white, almost clear hair framing a face that was so pale that it was nearly indistinguishable from marble. Lang remembered a time when Gwayne’s unusual pallor had been the target of ridicule. Those days were long past, and the mocking calls of chalkface and glasshead had been replaced with a new chant; one that people around the world knew. <em> The White Hawk is coming. </em></p><p>And for the moment, the White Hawk was staying. Gwayne continued spinning the crown between his fingers. “It’s not like we’ll be going anywhere anytime soon. Look around.”</p><p>And it was true. To the south, towards Reverse Mountain, their way was blocked off by none other than Koby the Rosen. Their crew had yet to actually trade lead with him, but the young Vice Admiral’s reputation preceded him. Barely over 20, and already a shoo-in for the role of Admiral. The marine battleship in their way was one of the newer classes, and it would be impossible to outrun it.</p><p>And to the north, towards Loguetown, was Selda the Raven. A young fleet commander under the Faux Warlord Eustass Kid and a powerful pirate in her own right. Normally, teaming up to break through the marine blockade wouldn’t be out of the question, but due to a relatively minor misunderstanding in the New World a couple of months ago, relations with the Raven were... rather <em> strained </em> at the moment. Her brigantine, the <em> Maiden, </em> wasn’t exactly the most modern ship, but it was manned by some of the fiercest fighters in the New World.</p><p>The three ships sat less than half a mile apart, each waiting for the other to make a move, knowing that the first to do so would be piled onto by the other two. Lang knew that they were at a disadvantage. Marine reinforcements would arrive any day now, and they could go neither forward nor back, sandwiched as they were.</p><p>“Why hasn’t Selda run off yet?” Lang said. “She could have been out of here ages ago and left us to deal with the marines.”</p><p>“Your guess is as good as mine,” Gwayne said. “Maybe she just hates us that much.”</p><p>Lang doubted that. The Raven wasn’t the type to put a grudge over the safety of her crew. He eyed her brig in the distance. “It kind of feels like she’s waiting for something. Or someone?”</p><p>“Well, she and the Cap have something in common then, eh?” said their navigator, Lisah, popping out of the door to the lower deck.</p><p>Gwayne’s eyes narrowed. Anyone that didn’t know him would probably have found the captain’s unblinking stare - with its strange, green irises and abnormally small pupils - to be unsettling. Lang had learned long ago that it was simply Gwayne’s way of fidgeting.</p><p>“Did you really have to take that thing,” Lang said, pointing at the silver crown in Gwayne’s hand, which had been stolen during their last visit to the Fiefs of Eris.</p><p>If the motivation for the theft had been avarice, Lang might have understood. They were pirates after all. But the captain’s twisted reasoning had haunted the ship’s cook for several weeks now. Even though starsilver fetched an incredible price outside of the Fiefs, he hadn’t taken the crown for financial gain.</p><p>He’d stolen an Erisian national treasure because of the knowledge that they’d sic the Fiefs’ greatest warriors on them, and the one that would undoubtedly track them down the soonest was a woman by the name of Edith Cutter.</p><p>To be honest, Lang wasn’t really sure about the nature of the captain’s relationship with her. Gwayne was openly smitten with Cutter, and sometimes it seemed like she was smitten with him as well. But only <em> sometimes </em>...</p><p>“You’re like a grade-schooler,” Lang said. “There are better ways to catch a woman’s attention than annoying them.”</p><p>“She might <em> actually </em> kill you this time,” Lisah said, smiling as if she found the thought amusing. And knowing her, she did...</p><p>“She won’t,” Gwayne said, smiling brightly and placing the crown on his head. He pointed out over the sea, where the faint traces of white sails could be seen, still leagues away. “But <em> they </em>might.”</p><p>Lang pulled a spyglass from his satchel, zeroing in on the ships in the distance. Emblazoned on each of their sails were the New Marine’s insignia. There were ten of them - mostly mid-sized frigates and brigs - but he counted a battleship in the mix, flying the colors of one of the most dreaded marines in the World.</p><p>“That’s Admiral Ryokugyu at the head,” Lang said.</p><p>“Nice,” Lisah said, smiling as she smacked him on the back. “We’re totally screwed.”</p><p>Lang couldn’t exactly disagree. On a good day, The captain and the Raven combined <em> might </em> have been a match for the Admiral. This was anything but a good day. Their only chance for survival was to swallow their pride and attempt to make peace with the Raven.</p><p>Lang sighed, turning to Lisah. “Try to get Selda on the transpo-”</p><p>He was interrupted by the frantic ringing of the bell on the crow’s nest, as Jayce the Cabin Boy finally spotted the incoming marines. “Sails on the horizon!” the boy shouted. “They’re coming in ho-”</p><p>“Yes, thank you Jayce,” Lang shouted, refocusing on the marines. The ships were fast. In less than a minute, they’d halved the distance between them. “Anyway, Lisah, get Selda on the transponder. Gwayne...”</p><p>Lang looked at his captain, who as always seemed like he’d just woken up from a pleasant dream. “You’re gonna have to grovel, bud.”</p><p>“I’m pretty good at that,” Gwayne said.</p><p>Lang shook his head, looking back through the spyglass. “No, you’re terrible at it. But option two is death, so we’ll take our chances.”</p><p>Something shot through the clouds, leaving a roiling streak of water vapor in its wake. At first, Lang thought it was one of those mechanical warbirds, but this thing moved even faster than the propeller-driven machines.</p><p>He focused his spyglass on it, and upon spotting the glare of crimson armor, his heart rose into his throat. It was <em> her </em>. Tearing through the sky atop her gryphon, leaving behind a glittering trail of condensed water that slowly fell to the sea. The visor of her helmet was still raised, though her sword was alarmingly free of its scabbard. Cutter of the Starforged.</p><p>She wasn’t alone either. Clutching her waist from behind, and seeming thoroughly miserable as the wind whipped her hair all across her face, was Aurelia the Saint. Selda’s second in command.</p><p>The Starforged flew straight over the marine task force, paying them no heed even as they took a few potshots at her. No, her eyes were locked straight onto their own ship. And judging by the blank expression on her face and the rabid gleam in her eye, she wasn’t coming to chat…</p><p>“Looks like you’ve finally doomed us all, captain,” Lang said.</p><p>“Lemme see,” Lisah said, having completely ignored his request to fetch the transponder. Not that it really mattered at this point... She didn’t wait before she tore the spyglass from his hands and held it up to her eye.</p><p>“Wooooow,” she said, laughing as she caught sight of their incoming doom. “She looks even less happy than usual. And that’s saying something. Are you sure all you took was that crown?”</p><p>Lang flinched as Gwayne wrestled the spyglass from her hands. It had been a gift from his mother, and he wished they’d treat it more gently.</p><p>“Huh,” Gwayne said as he put the spyglass up to his eye. He didn’t say anything else, but the thoughtful expression as he lowered the tool was telling. It was the face of a man scrambling to figure out what exactly he’d done wrong.</p><p>“What was that you said about her not killing you?” Lang said. Impending doom or not, the situation was pretty funny.</p><p>“Guys,” Gwayne said, deathly serious as he turned to them. “Whatever happens now, I just want you to know that sailing with all of you has been the highpoint of my life.”</p><p>Lang snorted. The captain sure did love to lay it on thick. “Bet you regret whatever you did.”</p><p>The captain turned toward the Erisian woman streaking toward them, mere seconds away from impact. Lang didn’t think he’d forget the expression on Gwayne’s face for the rest of his life, however short it may be. He seemed resigned, if a little hesitant, but there was a tender warmth in his eyes that Lang had never seen before on anyone’s face.</p><p>He almost felt the need to look away. The expression wasn’t for him.</p><p>Lang made a silent promise to himself that he’d never fall in love.</p><p>“You know what, Lang?” Gwayne said, a small smile on his pale lips. He seemed happy just <em> looking </em>at Cutter. “I actually do have a lot of regrets. But none of them involve her.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Heart of the Swarm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> 10 years after Liberation </em>
</p><hr/>
<p>Captain Valeria had once told Saf of her relationship with saloons. There was something that drew her to them. The more gaudy and garish, the better. It wasn’t just the alcohol, though in her eyes that <em> was </em>a significant portion of the allure.</p>
<p>She’d killed her first man and become a wanted criminal in one. She’d do it again if given the choice. She’d won her Devil Fruit through a game of dice in one. The rather unpleasant man she’d taken it from had no idea what he’d lost. She’d met her second-in-command in one. Lost him, in another. That had been a bad day, but these things happened. She’d told him it was best not to dwell on them.</p>
<p>Her forays into these domains of distraction and pleasure hardly ever ended well for any party involved. And yet, here they were, at the entrance to one.</p>
<p>This particular establishment was hands down the most luxurious Saf had ever seen in all his 17 years. The smell of food, alcohol, and perfume mingled and clashed down the halls, and the resonance of music, raucous laughter and other, more explicit pursuits drifted down from the floors above.</p>
<p>Decadence, in its most evolved form.</p>
<p>This normally would have been right up Captain Valeria’s alley, but the gilded chandeliers and polished marble floors did little to conceal the rotten heart of the place. The captain was often called the greatest empath of her generation, a title that she’d told him she found rather ironic considering that actual empathy wasn’t something she experienced very often.</p>
<p>Even Saf felt it, and he’d only just started his training as a haki empath. A sickening, sticky feeling that managed to slip through the cracks in the ivorywood walls. The patrons - bedecked in gold and fine furs - gave off much the same aura and gave them both a wide berth. This was something that happened wherever the captain walked. Saf paid them no mind.</p>
<p>They were there on business. A few days ago, a mysterious party had managed to infiltrate their ship and plant a message aboard detailing a set of instructions that led to this saloon. The captain had said that she had no intention of going along with whatever their request was of course, but she at least needed to find out who these people were before she destroyed them.</p>
<p>Hopefully, they’d finish quickly. The saloon’s aura was beginning to make him feel ill.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong, boy?” the captain said, her harsh, yellow eyes searching him for any sign of weakness.</p>
<p>“This… place,” he said, looking around and grimacing. “There’s something wrong with it.”</p>
<p>To be frank, Saf would have been uncomfortable with the place regardless. The Qawani homeland from which he hailed housed a people that were hardy and resourceful, but the arid land itself was harsh and unforgiving. There was no word for <em> luxury </em> in the Qawani tongue.</p>
<p>But it was more than that. There was something hiding in the building’s underbelly. Something terrible.</p>
<p>“If it’s too much for ye, lad, then go back to the ship,” the captain said. “We don’t have time to spare.”</p>
<p>Saf often wondered if the captain said such things out of irritation or concern. She’d never exactly been forthcoming.</p>
<p>Still, she’d saved him, in more ways than she thought. He was one of the few Qawani to leave their archipelago in centuries, and the captain would tell him that it was unfortunate for him to think that he had to be saddled with her. She often encouraged him to find his own way, sometimes resorting to downright cruel methods, but Saf was determined to remain at her side.</p>
<p>“I’ll be fine, captain,” he said.</p>
<p>The man at the counter looked up as they stepped through the doors. Watching his face go through various stages of emotional turmoil was comical, but Saf didn’t really blame him. It wasn’t every day that one came face to face with a legend.</p>
<p>“The Sword Swarm,” the clerk stammered out.</p>
<p>The captain pulled out the slip tucked under her feathered hat, squinting as she struggled to make out the untidy scrawl. “I’m looking for a… Berney Soolenlooket?”</p>
<p>“I think it says Bennet Sudenbaker, Captain,” Saf said.</p>
<p>The captain scowled, the expression causing the man behind the counter to shirk away. The captain didn’t like it much when attention was drawn to her poor eyesight. “It could be the Erisian Codex for all I care. It’s not like they’d put their real name down.”</p>
<p>“They call it the Astronomica, not the Codex,” Saf said.</p>
<p>The captain narrowed her eyes. She seemed to have more patience with him than with her other subordinates, but Saf knew when it was time to stop pushing his luck.</p>
<p>The clerk flipped through the logbook on the counter, navigating the cluttered pages expertly despite his unsteady hands. “Second floor, room 208,” he said hurriedly.</p>
<p>They made to move past, but the clerk held up a shaky hand. “Weapons at the register, ma’am,” he said. “House policy.”</p>
<p>Saf marveled at the man’s courage, though it seemed that he was acting more out of habit than anything. And it’s not like it would accomplish much. The two swords at the captain’s belt were hardly the only weapons she had available. Even now, her sword swarm lay dormant half a mile above the town, hidden inside of a cloud and awaiting her call.</p>
<p>Saf decided to move first. He took his pistol from its holster, slapping it on the counter along with the collapsible spear their smith had forged for him. The captain rolled her eyes, but followed suit, tossing her swords onto the counter and moving past without another word.</p>
<p>The clerk twitched as if to stop them, but he had apparently exhausted his reserve of bravery for the day and let them pass.</p>
<p>“Ye shouldn’t be so quick to give up your steel, boy,” the captain said once they were clear of the reception area.</p>
<p>Saf smiled, pulling aside his cloak and revealing a small derringer tied to a cord around his neck.</p>
<p>“A hooker pistol? Really?” the captain laughed, the sound drawing several alarmed glances from nearby patrons. Its gravelly ring combined with her shark-toothed grin was an unsettling combination.</p>
<p>Saf shrugged. “Better than nothing.”</p>
<p>They moved further inside, the sinking feeling in Saf’s stomach continuing to fester.</p>
<p>“Ye feel it, lad?” the captain said.</p>
<p>“I do,” Saf said, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms. “It’s… sticky.”</p>
<p>The captain nodded, seeming satisfied. ”You’ve got potential, but I doubt you’ll ever be as sensitive to it as me. Might be a blessing, really. At your age, I’d have been puking me guts out all over this nice carpet.”</p>
<p>“What is it?”</p>
<p>“The most powerful emotion in the world,” the captain said. “Despair. ”</p>
<p>They walked past a door labeled 105, and as soon as their backs were turned to it, the horrid, sickly aura began to fade. Saf’s step paused at the door as he considered opening it, but the captain moved onto the stairs without so much as a glance backward. With a heavy heart, he tore himself away from the door and trotted to catch up.</p>
<p>The door to room 208 was no different from any of the others. The captain turned to him. “What do ye feel?”</p>
<p>Saf closed his eyes, trying to sense the spiritual ambiance that reverberated from all living things.</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Saf said. “A trap?”</p>
<p>The captain grinned and tapped her finger on the door. “Look closer.”</p>
<p>Saf closed his eyes once more, clearing his head as he’d been taught. Slowly, gently, he began to pick up on the more minute traces of life in the room. A squirrel, tittering on the window sill. A fly, twitching in the spider’s web it was caught in.</p>
<p>A transponder snail on a table, eyes closed and dormant.</p>
<p>“Good, lad,” the captain said, waving her hand at the door. It broke free of its hinges in one, smooth motion, falling silently into the plush carpet. As soon as they’d crossed the threshold, the snail’s eyes snapped open.</p>
<p>The snail spoke, its voice distorted and grating to the ears. “The Sword Swarm, in the flesh.”</p>
<p>“Here I am. Wish you’d have done me the same courtesy,” the captain said, her eyes narrowing at the snail. With the signal as weak as it was, the voice sounded only vaguely human. The person on the other end of the line probably wasn’t even on the island.</p>
<p>“I can’t do that, Valeria,” the snail said. “It’s as much for your benefit as my safety. Can’t imagine what seeing a ghost would do to you. You were always so quick to violence.”</p>
<p>The captain’s aura began to exude malevolence. Saf backed away from her, and upon catching sight of him, the captain reigned in her ire. She grit her teeth, picking the startled snail up off the table and speaking to it directly. “Who the hell are ye, and what do ye want from me?”</p>
<p>“I want nothing <em> from </em> you, my dear,” the voice said. “No, it’s <em> you </em> I want. You’ve spent years running from your ghosts. Surrounded yourself with a new crowd. Got yourself a new reputation, a new... disposition. But I know the real you, Valeria. Inside, you’re still that same, lost soul that I once knew. And in time, you’ll know it as well. I’ll be keeping an eye on you from here on out.”</p>
<p>“You’d better pray to your gods that I don’t get me hands on ye, little fox,” she said. “I’ll show ye good and proper just how much I’ve changed.”</p>
<p>The voice laughed. “I’ve only ever had one god, Valeria. You should know. It used to be you.”</p>
<p>The snail clicked, relief evident on its face as it retreated into its shell. The captain placed it back on the table.</p>
<p>“Captain-”</p>
<p>“Not a word, boy,” she said, turning to the door and taking long strides down the hall.</p>
<p>She was at the stairs in no time, and Saf had to hurry to catch up. It had never really bothered him knowing how little he knew about the captain. He doubted she knew much about him from before they’d met. And even still, she’d taken him in. Given him a home. A purpose. What she’d done before then didn’t matter to him. She was the closest thing to a mother he’d ever had, and he loved her like one.</p>
<p>The captain stopped at the door to room 105, and she looked back. Saf was still taken aback at how sensitive her emotion compass was. There was an odd twinkle in her eyes that Saf had only ever seen once. When they’d met.</p>
<p>“You’re a fool, boy,” she said. “Whatever you’re yearning for, ye won’t find it in me.”</p>
<p>Saf could only smile. If there was one thing the captain understood, it was people. But there was one, specific person whose character she’d never quite been able to get a grasp on.</p>
<p>The captain turned to the door, and Saf felt a sense of deja vu. Unlike upstairs however, she didn’t stylishly drop the door. Her boot collided with the doorknob, tearing it loose in an explosion of wooden splinters.</p>
<p>The room inside was nearly identical to the one upstairs. If it weren’t for the horrid miasma pouring from it, Saf wouldn’t even have been able to tell the difference.</p>
<p>“There’s nothing in here,” Saf said, looking around. “There has to be some sort of hidden lever? Maybe we have to pull a book somewhere?”</p>
<p>The captain reached down, plunging her haki infused fingers into the carpet and tearing a large section of the floor free. A dark staircase lay exposed, their hinged doors torn free of their mounts and the intricate system of gears and pulleys now rendered obsolete.</p>
<p>“Or that. We could do that too,” Saf said, unable to stop a sulky pout from forming on his face.</p>
<p>The captain led the way downstairs, into what could only be described as a dungeon. The room, though rather spacious, was dimly lit and crammed with all manner of different sized cages and restraints. The miasma here could be felt full-force. Saf had to fight to keep his breakfast in his stomach. He could only imagine what the captain was feeling.</p>
<p>“This here used to be a slave town, before the war,” the captain said, scowling at the repulsive instruments around them. “The New Republic’s been going around eradicating the last of the slave markets for the past decade. Looks like they missed this one.”</p>
<p>“But there’s no one here?”</p>
<p>The captain rolled her eyes at him. “Look closer, boy.”</p>
<p>Saf’s face flushed. He’d started his training months ago, and he still had a hard time looking past his eyes. He closed them, feeling the room out. Insects skittered to and fro across the cold stone floor. A single, starving rat lay dying in the corner of the room, scared and alone.</p>
<p>There, in one of the cages. It was as if the bars were consuming its aura, hiding it from his Observation. Saf ran to the cage, nearly tripping over himself as he caught sight of its contents.</p>
<p>It was a massive child. Even sitting down on the cold metal with his arms wrapped around his knees, the boy was still taller than Saf. He was crammed into a silver cage that was much too small for him, and his eyes as he looked up at Saf were empty. It was like looking into a void.</p>
<p>“A giant,” the captain said, brushing her hand against the bars. “Don’t look no older than five. Giant kids must be even more expensive these days than before the war if they’re willing to drop this much on a starsilver cage.”</p>
<p>Saf reached out to touch the metal before the captain slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch it, boy. This much starsilver’ll sap ye dry of haki if you’re not trained for it. This kid must’ve been in here for months if he’s used to it by now.”</p>
<p>“We have to get him out of here,” Saf said.</p>
<p>The hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge. There was something in there with them. He turned to the captain, who looked at him pointedly. Saf sighed, closing his eyes and concentrating.</p>
<p>There was something… intangible? It was close. Close enough for Saf to feel its blade on the back of his neck.</p>
<p>Saf ducked, watching as the shadowy dagger plunged into the air where his head had been moments prior. The derringer came free of its string, hammer cocked and ready as Saf turned around and pulled the trigger.</p>
<p>The haki infused bullet tore straight through the wraith, blowing away a large chunk of its shadowy body along with the wall behind it. The crash reverberated throughout the entire building as a portion of the ceiling caved in.</p>
<p>The haki wraith staggered against the rubble, leaning against it before collapsing into a heap. It looked up at them through the dust, empty eye sockets narrowed in hatred. “This here’s Firethroat Syndicate turf, Sword Swarm. You’ve just started a war.”</p>
<p>The captain pointed a finger up at the ceiling. “Sucks for you lot, eh?”</p>
<p>Nothing happened for a couple of seconds until she pointed her finger forward, directly at the wraith. A sword - wreathed in shimmering black haki - barreled through the ceiling and plunged into the wraith’s neck. The shadowy body glistened for a moment, before disintegrating into ash.</p>
<p>The giant child hadn’t moved throughout the entire ordeal. He looked up at them, his eyes devoid of any of the curiosity and love of life a child’s eyes should hold.</p>
<p>The captain held her hand up, and the sword that had put down the wraith flew into her fingers. She swiped at the cage’s thick hinges, and the front of the cage fell forward onto the stone with a resounding clang.</p>
<p>The child cocked his head, confused.</p>
<p>“Judging by his clothes, this one’s from Elbaf,” the captain said, smiling maliciously. “It’s not <em> too </em> far from here. And there aren’t many things in this world that would match having the giants in my debt.”</p>
<p>Saf grinned. If there was one person in this world that the captain truly didn’t understand, it was herself.</p>
<p>And she was wrong about despair being the most powerful emotion in the world. He felt it as the child stepped out of the cage. Faint and hesitant, but already cutting through the residual miasma of the dungeon.</p>
<p>Hope.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Tiger's Cub</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>14 years after Liberation</span>
  </em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Koby had been many things throughout his life. Captive, choreboy, soldier, activist, and Admiral. He’d both seen and done his fair share of suffering, and could confidently say that he’d faced it head-on. There wasn’t a single cowardly bone or sinew in his body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And yet, when he thought of the things Fleet Admiral Issho would do to him when he found out that he’d lost the man’s adopted daughter, his knees grew just the </span>
  <em>
    <span>tiniest</span>
  </em>
  <span> bit weaker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What had Issho been thinking, anyway? He was Koby the Rosen, commander of the 1st Fleet, Hero of the Battle in Heaven, youngest man to have been made an Admiral in history. He was responsible for no less than two million marines. Who in their right mind would think that he was suitable as a </span>
  <em>
    <span>babysitter?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Especially for that little monster...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gin!” he shouted, looking around at the crowded streets and colorful brick and stucco buildings of Dressrosa for any trace of the child.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The portable snail in his breast pocket clicked. “Davis speaking.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go ahead, Lieutenant,” Koby said. “Any good news?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh… No, sir,” she said. “Well, yes, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Koby sighed. He sincerely doubted it could get any worse. “Lay it on me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Davis cleared her throat before continuing. “Sergeant Lilac’s search party reported in. One of his group found Miss Gin in the Western District.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good,” Koby said. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> in the Western District.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, Private Salas tried to drag her back. She was… unwilling. He’s being taken to the medical bay with a sprained shoulder and the young miss is still on the loose.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Koby said. “That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What should we do, sir?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What a mess this was turning out to be… “Have everyone fan out and keep searching. If they spot her, have them contact me</span>
  <em>
    <span> directly.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Don’t touch the child. Don’t talk to the child. Avoid eye contact if possible.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a pause on the other end as Davis tried to wrap her head around what he’d just said. “It’s a ten-year-old, sir. Is all that really necessary?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Koby sighed. To be honest, he didn’t really blame the others for being skeptical. Gin was just about the least threatening little girl that he’d ever seen. What a lot of people seemed to forget was that she was also under the wing of one of the greatest Admirals of the last generation. Private Salas had gotten off with a sprained shoulder, but it could have been a whole lot worse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That wasn’t to say that he thought Gin was a bad kid or anything. She was just a spoiled brat that didn’t know her own strength.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lieutenant, I need you to listen to me,” Koby said. “I’ve known this kid for four years now. When she was seven, she got run over by a land treader. The thing was totaled, and she walked away with bruised ribs. When she was eight, she tripped into one of the support pillars at HQ. The entire balcony collapsed and the Fleet Admiral came tumbling down two stories along with diplomats from four different countries. When she was nine, she was skipping rocks at sea and accidentally sank a war-sloop. A few months ago-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I understand, Admiral,” Davis said. “Don’t approach the young miss. Will relay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And stop calling her that,” Koby snapped. “She’s not royalty.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No buts!” Koby said. “Repeat after me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gin</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sir, is this really-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“GIN!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was another pause on the other end of the line, and Koby heard the distinct sound of the Lieutenant sighing. “Gin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was only then that Koby noticed that the nearby townsfolk had all begun to give him a wide berth, and would look away hurriedly if he made eye contact. He blushed and adjusted his bicorne. “Good,” he said, ending the call.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, if he were a curious child with a concerning penchant for property damage, where would he be? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Honestly, he had no clue. But at the very least, he didn’t have to ponder for long. At that moment, the distinct, metallic roar of Gin’s devil fruit transformation reached his ears, only a few blocks away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was alarming in more ways than one. The girl had almost no control over her powers yet, meaning everyone in her vicinity was in danger. But Koby knew for a fact that Issho had driven that knowledge into the girl’s head time and time again. As spoiled as she was, Gin wouldn’t resort to using them unless something </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad was happening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Koby set off across the rooftops, leaving nothing behind but a puff of dust and the startled faces of passersby as he vanished before their eyes. The wind roared in his ears, blocking out any sound in his mad dash. He only pushed himself as fast as he dared. A sonic boom in the middle of town wouldn’t exactly be ideal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He scanned the area ahead with his haki. Two auras in the middle of a clearing staring each other down, and dozens more surrounding them from a distance, probably gawking at the spectacle. One of the auras in the middle had to be Gin, but who was the other one?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take him long to reach the source of the commotion, and his jaw dropped at the sight. The remains of a once quaint little park lay scattered across half a block, and in the middle of it all was Gin, hunched over, claws digging into the soft earth of the playground, her normally cherubic face twisted and contorted into a cat-like mask of savage rage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Facing down the child was a young man that Koby hadn’t seen since the Firethroat War nearly four years ago. Tall and sinewy, with the brown skin and dark gray eyes that were common among the Qawani folk. It was Saf of the Red Sands. Valeria’s youngest Fleet Commander, and her favorite if the rumors were true.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saf squatted down so that he was eye level with the girl, cocking his head curiously. At that moment, Gin lunged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Koby had been present for many of the girl’s lessons with Issho. She hadn’t taken to swordsmanship the way her father had hoped. Even before she’d eaten her Devil Fruit, she’d preferred to grapple with her bare hands. Nowadays, the girl moved with the litheness and measured grace of a cat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her attack showed </span>
  <em>
    <span>none</span>
  </em>
  <span> of the many years of training she’d endured under the Fleet Admiral’s personal guidance. Lips drawn back, exposing elongated fangs, arms forward, the inch-long metallic claws on her fingertips fully extended, the girl leaped for Saf’s throat. She’d become a creature of pure instinct.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saf didn’t move from his spot, nor show any reaction at all to the girl’s assault until the very last moment. With a movement that Koby could only describe as</span>
  <em>
    <span> lazy,</span>
  </em>
  <span> the man brushed aside both of Gin’s arms with a single hand. The girl’s momentum carried her forward, and she collided face-first into Saf’s chest. The man didn’t budge an inch, while Gin bounced off of him like a rubber ball.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That Devil Fruit is more a danger to yourself than to me, little one,” Saf said, still not moving as Gin vaulted to her feet. “Leash the beast. Don’t let it control you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl snarled, and Koby moved in. He grabbed Gin by the collar of her shirt and lifted her off the ground, where she immediately began to try to claw his eyes out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Saf,” Koby said, holding the flailing child as far away from his face as he could. “It’s been ages.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t say?” Saf said, standing up. He grinned and pointed to the Admiral’s insignia embroidered onto the side of Koby’s bicorne. “You didn’t have </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> the last time I saw you. You here to take me in, Admiral?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Marines only had sovereignty over the seas, and pirates could only be engaged on land at the request of the local government. Technically, it was possible - and even common practice - to wait until the pirates left the island and engage out at sea, but Saf was an old friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You keep pushing your luck, kid,” Koby said, grinning back. “And I just might be. What’s going on here, anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saf shrugged. “I’m just walking by, minding my own business, and this little viper jumps at me out of nowhere, all spit and venom. Never seen anything like it. She yours? Doesn’t look much like you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Koby watched as the girl finally began to calm down. The metallic claws receded into fingertips, the fangs and whiskers shrunk, and the creases began to disappear from her face. Gin glared at him, apparently expecting him to put her down. That wasn’t an option. She’d caused enough trouble for one day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, she’s not mine, thank Mercy,” Koby said. “She’s the Fleet Admiral’s kid.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah. This must be the fabled Miss Gin,” Saf said, cocking his head. “She doesn’t look much like Issho either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not many people knew that the girl was adopted. Issho had simply appeared with her one day, and the story of how he’d found her was bizarre, to say the least. To this day, nobody really knew anything about Gin. Not even the girl herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Fleet Admiral had been trying to trace the girl’s origins for years, to little success. Judging purely on appearance, the girl looked like she might have been from Wano Country, but every lead from there so far had led to nothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m right here, you know,” Gin said, pouting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And that’s where you’re going to stay until I say so,” Koby said. He gestured around to the remains of the park. “What the hell got into you? You know you’re not supposed to bring the tiger out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s a pirate,” Gin spat, glaring at Saf, who had the decency to look sheepish. “The enemy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kid, you’re way too young to be giving </span>
  <em>
    <span>yourself</span>
  </em>
  <span> enemies,” Koby said, lifting the girl higher and looking her in the eye. “Your father’s going to be very disappointed in you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gin continued to glare at him. “Won’t you be in trouble too for losing me in the first place?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Koby froze and struggled to find a response as Saf began to laugh in the background.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, how he hated children.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Better Part of Valor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Author's notes will be few and far between from me. I don't think I've mentioned this here, but this story supposedly updates every Friday. Yeah, so I forgot to hand this to my Beta this Friday. My mistake. I've set a reminder on my phone, so the chances of it happening again are small. Stuff happens though. Til next time.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>3 years after Liberation</strong>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Aurelia collapsed against the rails of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maiden</span>
  </em>
  <span>, almost completely drained of haki and otherwise exhausted. The battle at the foot of Reverse Mountain had lasted nearly an hour, and would probably be the stuff of legends later on down the line. Three marine frigates now rested at the bottom of the East Blue along with the White Hawk Pirate’s own brig, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Angel’s Feather.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boom of cannon fire still sounded off behind them. Courtesy of the few marine vessels that were still in good enough condition to chase after them on their mad dash to the Eastern River, though any rounds that came close were batted away by young Lorenzo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rescued crew of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Feather </span>
  </em>
  <span>were taking the loss of their ship rather poorly. Even Lisah, the bubbly blonde navigator who in the numerous times that Aurelia had met her had never run out of things to say, was silent in the corner, her head resting on her knees.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lang, the White Hawks’ cook, sat down next to her, and to Aurelia’s surprise, she promptly rested her head on his shoulder. They definitely hadn’t gotten along that well a few weeks ago. She supposed shared grief could bring even oil and water together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aurelia sympathized with them. She’d lived most of her life on land, and before setting sail she might have said that the White Hawks should simply be thankful that they were all alive. But now, the mere thought of losing the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maiden </span>
  </em>
  <span>made her stomach clench. After a certain point, a ship became more than just transportation. She became a comrade just as precious as any living crewmate. Whatever love and care that you gave her, she gave right back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was an old sailor’s tale that assured ships could take on a life of their own. That they could develop a will to protect those that they carried aboard. Aurelia had always considered it nothing more than sailor’s superstition, but what had happened with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Feather… </span>
  </em>
  <span>Well, to call it a miracle would have been like saying the sea was deep or the mountains tall. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She started as someone placed a hand on her shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aurelia looked up at her captain. A tall, slender young woman with the bushiest, most unmanageable looking black hair that Aurelia had ever seen. Her soft, brown eyes would probably have seemed friendly to anyone that didn’t know her, but her perpetual smirk and crinkled brow hinted at a dash of sadism that the woman was never quite successful in hiding from more observant individuals.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A liar and a thief, and a shameless one at that. That was Captain Selda, through and through. Nevertheless, she was beloved by the crew, and Aurelia knew that she loved them all right back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You ok there, champ?” the captain said, her Zapacatan drawl even more pronounced due to the wads of cotton she’d stuffed into her bloody nose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knew that Selda was saying this sarcastically. The captain and Gwayne’s battle with Admiral Ryokugyu had left her much the worse for wear. Her clothes were torn, burnt, and bloodied, and any exposed skin was peppered with cuts and bruises.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Been better,” Aurelia said, smirking as Selda let herself fall onto the deck beside her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Been worse, too,” Selda said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The deck rattled as a cannonball rent the air over their heads, clipping the edge of the mainsail and causing the rigging to creak in protest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Selda scowled. “That pink-headed Vice Admiral doesn’t know when to give up. ‘Renzo!” Selda shouted, startling the poor boy. “What did I tell you?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorenzo, their young helmsman from Dressrosa, turned around in a huff, stomping the deck so hard that his boot went straight through the wood and into the captain’s quarters below. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I am trying!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he shouted, swinging his bat around in frustration. “I do not see Captain doing anything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t talk back to me, you little shit,” Selda said, smacking him lightly on the stomach, which was enough to tear his foot free of the deck and send him flying down the stairs in a flurry of limbs and curses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oops,” Selda said, turned back to Aurelia. “Anyway. I forgot to say this earlier, what with all the bullets and the stabbing, but welcome home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aurelia laughed. Her crew had waited for days with the Marines breathing down their necks, holding on to the vain hope that she would somehow find her way back to them. And she had…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank Edith,” Aurelia said. “If she hadn’t shown up to get me, you’d all be fish food.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Selda seemed thoughtful for a moment before a grin appeared on her face. “You know, if I hadn’t stolen her gun in the first place, she wouldn’t have chased us into that storm and you two would never have met. So really, this is all thanks to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell is wrong with you…” Aurelia said, shaking her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Selda’s grin only widened. “A lot of things according to a lot of people. Anyway, get this. While you were in the head puking-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aurelia blushed. She was probably the only pirate in the world that would get seasick from coming aboard a ship. It only ever lasted a few minutes at most, but it was still embarrassing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-There I am, on the deck with her-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was this </span>
  <em>
    <span>before</span>
  </em>
  <span> or after she flattened out your face a little?” Aurelia said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Selda’s smile faltered for a moment. Despite her heated battle with Ryokugyu, the bloody nose hadn’t been a gift from him. Selda’s way of “making peace” with Edith over stealing one of her most precious possessions was to let the Erisian knight punch her in the face. The captain had regretted that decision less than a second later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At least Edith was satisfied. She huddled with Gwayne on the other end of the quarterdeck, both of them nestled within the soft feathers of her gryphon’s belly. Upon seeing Gwayne so dejected over the loss of his ship, it seemed like all the fight had gone out of her as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Before, actually. Stop interrupting. So she’s on the deck, kicking ‘Renzo’s ass-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you just watched?” Aurelia said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Selda cocked her head as if Aurelia had said something strange. “It was funny. So she’s stomping on his head, shouting in her weird language-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s called Erisian.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who cares. She’s so mad that I don’t think anyone could have calmed her down, and I didn’t get it. I’d already given her the gun back-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>After </span>
  </em>
  <span>trying to shoot her with it,” Aurelia said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was a reflex! So I see this bottle of orange juice sitting near the helm-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another cannonball flew over their heads, this time actually landing a solid hit on the jib sails and tearing two of them free. Selda’s eye twitched dangerously, and she stood up from the deck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hold that thought,” she said, going over to Lorenzo and tearing the steel bat out of his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aurelia’s attention shifted to Edith, who was having a whispered conversation with Gwayne. She’d told Edith about her relation to Selda before they’d landed, and the knight hadn’t said a single word to her since. At the very least, she hadn’t tried to murder anyone on the crew like she said she would on their trip through the skies over the East Blue, so Aurelia was hopeful for forgiveness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t really </span>
  <em>
    <span>mean</span>
  </em>
  <span> to eavesdrop on Edith and Gwayne’s conversation. Her Devil Fruit was simply active most of the time, giving her a boost to one area of her body at the expense of another. She was currently channeling most of her spare energy into her recovery process, but she always made sure to set a little aside for her eyes and ears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Really, she didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>mean</span>
  </em>
  <span> to eavesdrop. Not at all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not really sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>we’re going to do,” Gwayne was saying. “It’s not like ships just fall out of the sky. This might be the end for the crew...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shame,” Edith said, though the look on her face showed that she didn’t really mean it. “I’m sure ze World will lament ze loss of </span>
  <em>
    <span>another </span>
  </em>
  <span>pirate crew.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re good people, Edee,” Gwayne said defensively, looking around at his crewmates. There were only ten overall, but their gloomy presence made the deck feel even more cramped than it really was. “Well, mostly. Some more than others.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aurelia snorted. Edee? Really?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you say so,” Edith said, shrugging her shoulders. She seemed thoughtful for a moment. A bit of pink dusted her cheeks when she spoke. “If you truly do disband… What say you come back to Eris with me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aurelia’s breath caught in her throat. She’d never admit it, but there was nothing more interesting to her than other people’s love lives. She rerouted a bit more energy into her hearing, effectively turning up the volume.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t really know what she was expecting out of Gwayne. But when the man started laughing, she felt the urge to strangle him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is zat funny?” Edith said, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Aurelia knew it had to have taken a lot of courage to even ask.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Gwayne said. “It’s just… The idea of me settling down is </span>
  <em>
    <span>bizarre</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I was born at sea, you know? It’s the only home I’ve ever had. Besides, Lady Rosaline told me that she’d kill me the next time she saw me. And unlike you, she’d actually do it…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll talk her down,” Edith said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gwayne shook his head. “Why don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>stay with </span>
  <em>
    <span>me,</span>
  </em>
  <span> then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Edith’s turn to laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See how that works?” Gwayne said. “Besides, I can’t really say I’m too into all that </span>
  <em>
    <span>Order of the Watcher</span>
  </em>
  <span> stuff anyway. Giving up your firstborn? Sounds like a bad fairy tale.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Edith had told Aurelia a few things about her Knight’s Order on their way back. The people of Eris held on to some sort of pact with their god. Any firstborn son or daughter would be offered to his Order, where they would grow up to be scholars, builders, or warriors, never knowing their kin and having no attachment to anything but the Order and Eris. Not even their royalty was exempt from this law.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s… really not zat bad,” Edith said, though she herself didn’t seem too convinced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They remained silent for some time before Edith spoke again. “Gwayne… do you think there’s any future for us?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gwayne didn’t answer immediately, but instead leaned over and rested his head on top of hers. “I-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The deck shook as Selda struck a flying cannonball with Lorenzo’s steel bat, sending it flying back towards the pursuing armada. The already thunderous boom was made all the louder by Aurelia’s amplified hearing, and she yelled in alarm, drawing both Gwayne and Edith’s attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, please continue,” Aurelia said. “Just pretend I’m not here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Edith rolled her eyes, pulling away from Gwayne and resuming her normal brooding, though her hand remained intertwined with his. Aurelia didn’t know what was in store for these two, but she hoped from the bottom of her heart that it was something good.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Irredeemable</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <em>5 years after Liberation</em> </strong>
</p><hr/><p>The smell of gunpowder still hung heavy in the cool, evening air as Selda walked through the town of Farbroni’s Rest. It was small. Hardly more than two rows of buildings on either side of a dirt road, though the violence that had been inflicted upon it far outpaced the size.</p><p>She’d seen horrible things during the Revolution. Memories that she recalled every day and would remain with her until the day she died. She thought she’d seen the limit of man’s cruelty towards one another, but this…</p><p>Aurelia leaned over one of the bodies strewn about the street, her hand trembling slightly as she closed the dead man’s vacant eyes. Selda wondered if she should have left the young Medeian on the <em> Maiden </em>. There was no one else she'd trust as much as Aurelia to have her back in a brawl, but she was much too kind for her own good. They'd barely made any progress down the town's single road, as Aurelia insisted on checking every body along the way, hopeful for some sign of life.</p><p>"They're all dead, Aurelia," Selda said, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Their haki auras are snuffed out. Come on. We don't want to be here any longer than we have to."</p><p>Aurelia shook Selda's hand off, her dark hair covering her eyes. "What if they're wearing starsilver? Or hiding their aura?"</p><p>Considering a single pendant's worth of starsilver cost a small fortune outside of Eris, it was rather unlikely. And hiding one's haki aura was an incredibly high-level technique.</p><p>"Aurelia…" Selda said.</p><p>Aurelia sighed, wiping her sleeve across her face. "Fine. Let's go."</p><p>Selda set off towards the large building at the end of the dirt road, the source of the distress signal that their old transponder snail had picked up. Aurelia kept her eyes trained on her feet, avoiding looking at the bodies and bullet holes that peppered the town.</p><p>“Why would anyone do this?” Aurelia said.</p><p>Selda pointed to the large building they were headed towards. “That right there’s the headquarters for Fabroni Arms. Makers of the best firearms this side of the World. They played a big role in arming the Revolutionaries coming out of the South Blue, but nowadays most of their contracts are with the New Republic. This whole town sprung up around that one factory. As for why they shot up the town too, I couldn’t tell you.”</p><p>The factory was the so-called Pride of Zapacata, owned and managed for generations by the Fabroni family of gunsmiths. Selda had never been to this side of the island, but seeing her people massacred in such a way… It hurt a lot more than she let on.</p><p>Aurelia clenched her fists. "All of these people were alive a couple of hours ago.”</p><p>Selda knew what she was thinking. If only they’d replaced their aging transponder like they’d been talking about. If only they hadn’t spent the day strolling leisurely around Zapacata and gotten back to the <em> Maiden </em>sooner. If only...</p><p>"Those kinds of thoughts will eat you alive if you let them," Selda said.</p><p>Aurelia said nothing, right up until they reached the entrance to the factory. Her head snapped up, her eyes glowing in the starlight as she activated her Executive Fruit. She drew her greatsword silently from the scabbard slung over her shoulder. “There’s someone inside.”</p><p>Selda drew her pistol from its holster, cocking the hammer. She was suddenly very glad she’d taken Aurelia with her. There were ways to hide from observation haki, but hiding from Aurelia’s enhanced hearing was practically impossible. Selda opened the door slowly, holding her pistol in front of her as she walked.</p><p>The scene inside of the factory wasn’t any less morbid than the one outside. Tools and machinery lay scattered about the place, which was riddled with blood and bullet holes. Broken glass and spent casings crunched much too loudly beneath Selda’s boots, but there was nothing she could do about that. A ninja she was not.</p><p>They moved as quietly as they could from hallway to hallway, until they stood outside of the door labeled <em> Gia’s Office </em>. Aurelia pointed at the door, holding her finger up to her lips and shutting off her powers to avoid sensory overload. Selda nodded, giving the door a light tap with her index finger.</p><p>The door exploded into millions of pieces as it disintegrated into atoms, and Selda moved in, pistol at the ready. Her eyes danced around the room, taking in as much information as she could within a split second.</p><p>The office was in ruins. The desk in the middle was flipped onto its back, and most of the plaques and gun mounts on the walls had fallen onto the floor. Oddly enough, a gun cabinet at the back of the room was the only thing that remained relatively intact.</p><p>There were four people inside, two of them on the ground, probably dead. A woman dressed in a frilly silk gown leaned over one of the bodies, while a burly man stood guard, watching with disapproval as Selda trained her pistol on him.</p><p>The woman stood up and turned around casually, her deep brown, almost red hair and harsh, yellow eyes immediately recognizable.</p><p>“Could hear you coming from a mile off,” Valeria said, her smirk displaying her pointed teeth.</p><p>“Valeria?!” Selda said. “What the hell are you-”</p><p>She paused as she realized that Aurelia had dropped her haki cloak, letting her aura run wild. Selda wasn’t the greatest empath in the world, but even she could feel the whirlwind of emotions coming from her friend. Sorrow. Regret. Rage.</p><p>The burly man at Valeria’s side, whom Selda now recognized as Sadril, her second in command and a powerful fighter in his own right, put a hand over his cutlass.</p><p>“Did you do this?” Aurelia said, pointing her sword at Valeria.</p><p>“Beg yer pardon, love?” Valeria said, her smirk dropping. “Put that thing down, ‘fore ye get hurt.”</p><p>“Aurelia,” Selda said, moving to get between her and the Sword Swarm. A fight between the four of them here would be disastrous.</p><p>“Answer me,” Aurelia said.</p><p>Valeria scowled, but to Selda’s surprise, she actually answered. “Ye won’t believe me if I say I’m above something like this, will ye? But nay, it weren’t me. We were in the area when we picked up the distress call. Same as you lot, I reckon.”</p><p>This was the first time that Selda had seen Valeria actively avoid a fight, and to say that she was surprised would have been an understatement. She’d heard rumors that Valeria’s temperament had stabilized somewhat over the past couple of years, but she hadn’t actually believed them at the time.</p><p>“And why would <em> you </em>answer a distress call?” Aurelia said, still suspicious.</p><p>Valeria turned to the two bodies in the room, and for the first time, Selda took a good look at them.</p><p>She’d only ever seen the man from afar. It was Giaguaro, patriarch of the Fabroni family. He was blond, like most of his family, and handsome even in death. He was slumped against the room’s single desk, and a still cocked revolver lay at his side. It seemed that Valeria had taken the time to fix the man’s hat back on his head and wipe the blood from his mouth. The pretty woman at his side was more than likely his wife, Julie.</p><p>“He was my friend. Met him during the Battle in Heaven,” Valeria said. “First man to ever get my respect. There’s only a few folks in this World that had a chance at taking him down with a gun in his hand.”</p><p>“Do you know who did this?” Selda said, holstering her pistol.</p><p>“I ain’t pointing any fingers just yet,” Valeria said, looking around at the office. “But we’ve been going around the whole town, looking for survivors. Near the entire Fabroni family died here tonight. The only bodies that are missing are Giaguaro’s two sons, Lince and Leon, and his younger brother Ilgatto.”</p><p>“You think his <em> brother </em>did this?” Aurelia said, finally sheathing her sword. “The Vice Admiral?”</p><p>“I couldn’t tell you,” Valeria said, moving over to the gun cabinet at the back of the room. “But maybe these lads can.”</p><p>Valeria opened the cabinet, and a gunshot reverberated throughout the building. The bullet glanced off of Valeria’s forehead, striking the ceiling above.</p><p>Inside the cabinet was a young boy, probably around seven or eight years old. It had to be Lince, the older of the two sons. Blond and blue-eyed like his father, a small starsilver pendant hung around his neck, and his hand clutched a still smoking revolver.</p><p>In the other arm was a small, squirming bundle that the boy clutched in a death grip.  Lince’s terrified eyes widened as he realized that the bullet had no effect, even as the sound of the gunshot set the bundle to crying.</p><p>“No...” Aurelia said, choking up.</p><p>Valeria showed no reaction to being shot, and raised her arms and crouched down so she was eye level with the child as Aurelia hurried over. The boy dropped the revolver, looking to the two women in desperation.</p><p>“You’re safe now, lad,” Valeria said.</p><p>Lince’s face began to crumple. “Uncle ‘Gatto-” he managed to choke out, before breaking into sobs and holding his younger brother against his body. Aurelia swept the two children into her arms, stroking their heads as her own tears dripped quietly into Lince’s hair.</p><p>Selda didn’t understand it. Ilgatto had been a Marine throughout most of his life. She’d actually tangled with him a few times. He’d always seemed like the upstanding type. And he had to have left the two boys alive on purpose. Was it mercy? Sadism?</p><p>Valeria had lost control of her haki cloak as well, and Selda was shocked at how similar her aura was to Aurelia’s. Sorrow, regret, and rage.</p><p>“I feel sorry for Ilgatto if our captain ever runs into him,” Sadril said, his face grim. Selda had honestly forgotten he was even in the room. “She might not look it, but she has a soft spot for little ones.”</p><p>As she watched the two boys cry, Selda felt something stirring within her own heart as well. She didn’t even realize that she’d lost control of her own cloak. For a time, only a single thought roamed through her mind.</p><p>Ilgatto was a dead man.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Old Soldier</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In remembrance of Jackie. So long as I live, your memory will too.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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    <em> 14 years after Liberation</em>
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</p><hr/><p>Old Jackie was what he went by. No one left alive knew his real name, and many suspected that the old man didn’t remember either.</p><p>He’d arrived in the small town of Ur Vell on the island of Medeis over a decade ago. Times had changed since then, but he certainly hadn’t.</p><p>He’d come every day to the small park near the center of town and sit under one of the covered benches. He didn’t do much, and said even less. He’d sit for a couple of hours, watch the folk go by, and then leave.</p><p>The pattern remained unbroken for years, and rain or shine, Old Jackie would always be there.</p><p>People had come to regard him as a fixture. Something that would always be there. More a statue than a person. Jackie wasn’t too bothered by it. It was peace that he was looking for, after all.</p><p>He’d expected today to be no different. A fading drizzle had kept most of the townsfolk indoors, and the park was empty save for a single jogger doing laps around the park. They traded a nod with the town’s most reliable benchwarmer, but not much else.</p><p>Jackie liked these kinds of days. The calming sound of the raindrops striking the trees and the canvas canopy over his head. The pleasant scent of the moist earth wafting through the park. The cool air caressing his wrinkled skin, soothing his numerous aches. He did miss the laughter and patter of the children, but this was refreshing in its own way. They’d be out and about again soon, once the rain cleared up. He’d closed his eyes and leaned back on the bench, letting out a contented sigh.</p><p>He’d gone rather deaf over the years, so while he couldn’t hear the woman moving up to him, he definitely sensed her. A chilling, unsteady aura that she was releasing on purpose, as if to announce her presence. It had been decades since the last time he’d felt it, and while it <em> was </em>different (less… angry, perhaps?), it was still very much familiar. Sword Swarm Valeria, in the flesh.</p><p>“Jackie,” Valeria said, her gravelly tone just as unsettling as it had been all those years ago. “I was wondering if you’d even still be alive.”</p><p>“Fortunately. Or maybe not, depending on who you ask,” Jackie said, not opening his eyes. The last time he’d seen Valeria was during the Battle in Heaven, and it had been an unpleasant experience for all parties involved.</p><p>“How’re the rest of your squad,” she said.</p><p>“Gone,” Jackie said. “Frost and Rap stayed on with the New Marines. Sunny… She left to help defend the Merchant District. Never came back.”</p><p>The bench creaked as Valeria sat down beside him. “Shame. That’s just how it goes sometimes.”</p><p>Jackie finally opened his eyes. The Valeria he saw wasn’t much different from the one he remembered, despite now being close to her forties. She still had a fondness for silken gowns, her brown hair was still tied up and intricate, her teeth still sharp and unsettling, and two ornate swords still hung at her sides. But there were a couple of major discrepancies, namely being that the last time he’d seen her, she’d still had both eyes and both legs.</p><p>“You’ve been through the wringer, huh,” Jackie said.</p><p>Valeria grinned, pulling fondly at her eyepatch and tapping her prosthetic leg against the concrete. “Ain’t slowed me down none.”</p><p>Jackie rather doubted that. “What do you want, Valeria?”</p><p>The woman was silent, and if Jackie didn’t know any better, he’d have said she was uncomfortable. But that couldn’t be right, could it?</p><p>“I need your help, Jackie,” she finally said. “The rest of your team too.”</p><p>Here was a woman known by many names and by many people. The Sword Swarm, the Sun Blotter, and the Silken Empress to name a few. She’d once managed to unite the Erisian Starforged, the Qawani Immortals, and the Saints of Wano against her all at once. She’d once single-handedly wiped out an entire Firethroat Syndicate chapter on Alabasta. She remained the only person to have ever outright defeated Selda the Raven in battle, and had once traded blows with Zoro of the Black Blades and <em> lived </em>.</p><p>“I’m an old man. I ain’t got nothing worth offering you, woman,” Jackie said, chuckling.</p><p>“Old man, my arse,” Valeria said, smacking him on the bicep. Dense muscle still lay beneath the cloth of his shirt. “Ye four were the best Marine Commandos to ever come out of that blasted academy. Bravo Squad-”</p><p>“-was disbanded the moment Mariejois fell,” Jackie said. “‘Sides, what use could you have for us? War's over, Valeria. It’s all in the past, and I’d like to keep it there.”</p><p>Another silence followed, though not quite as long as the last one. It seemed that she had found her resolve. A faint dollop of suppressed rage shone through her aura, much more akin to the Valeria that he’d known all those years ago.</p><p>“Your old masters took Saf,” she said curtly.</p><p>He’d known that this was coming for a long time. The Old World Government had been defeated, but never eradicated. The Remnants were on the move, though why they would antagonize a New World Emperor, he couldn’t fathom.</p><p>And Saf? He’d never met the boy, but long ago he’d heard tell of a young Qawani child that Valeria had taken under her wing. The boy would probably be at least in his twenties by now. Well, the Remnants were in for a surprise if they thought a single crew member was worth very much to Valeria.</p><p>“Let me guess, you think I know where to find the Remnant’s-”</p><p>“I don’t care about the Remnant,” Valeria said. “I need ye to help me find the boy. Combined, your squad were the best trackers that I’ve ever known.”</p><p>Jackie was surprised, to say the least. It turned out that the Remnant <em> did </em>know what they were doing when they’d taken Saf. If Valeria cared enough about the boy that he was an effective bargaining chip… The implications were troubling. Having an Emperor under the sway of the Remnant would have global consequences.</p><p>“They’ve reached out to me already,” Valeria said, her perpetual glare becoming harsher. “I’m to be four miles south of Sabaody by next month’s end. You’re the only one I could turn to, old man. If we don’t find the lad by then…”</p><p>“You’d let yourself get bossed around?” Jackie said, still incredulous. “By <em> the Remnant? </em>”</p><p>“I’ll do what it takes to get Saf back,” Valeria said.</p><p>“Woman, do you realize what that would mean?” Jackie said.</p><p>Valeria’s gaze didn’t waver. “I’ll do what it takes to get Saf back.”</p><p>“Worst case scenario, you start <em> another </em> World war,” Jackie said, standing up. The World hadn't even finished recovering from the <em> last </em> one. “You’ve been through one already. Is that what you want?”</p><p>Valeria looked around at the still quiet park. The rain had begun to let up, and the faint twittering of birds could be heard over the rustling trees. “Nay, I don’t want that,” she said. “But that’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”</p><p>“So what, you’re going to lay this on <em> me?” </em>Jackie said.</p><p>“Well, if ye want to put it like that, then aye. I suppose I will.”</p><p>Jackie looked at Valeria. At first glance, he’d thought she’d seemed mostly the same, barring a few pieces. Now though… She’d lost weight recently. Her once shining hair had begun to lose its luster. Her single yellow eye, though still burning and indomitable, was more primal now. Desperate, even.</p><p>What exactly did this Saf mean to her?</p><p>“I kind of want the old Valeria back,” Jackie grumbled.</p><p>Valeria laughed, and for the first time in his long life, Jackie didn’t feel unsettled by the gravelly ring. “Never thought I’d hear anyone say that.”</p><p>Jackie sighed, holding out his hand. He still owed a debt to the World, anyway. “It’ll take at least a week to track down Rap and Frost. If I’m the one asking, won’t take much convincing to get them on board.”</p><p>Valeria stretched out to grasp his arm, just as a rolling, metallic clang rent the air for miles, and from the skies fell a man. Jackie’s eyes followed the man’s descent as he hurtled through the air, his flailing limbs and billowing cape making him appear like a bird that had forgotten how to fly.</p><p>The man hit the ground with enough force to cause the entire block to rumble and kicked up a spray of muddy earth that spread across half the park.</p><p>Jackie spat the dirt out of his mouth, his day officially ruined. There, not ten feet away, the man lay in the large crater that his disagreement with gravity had produced. His clothes were torn, his face bloody, and his grumbling vulgar, but considering the tumble he’d just taken, he was rather well off.</p><p>“Damned gryphons,” the man muttered.</p><p>He was unmistakable. Solid muscle was evident beneath his loose clothes, and a mess of poofy, black hair tumbled down the back of his head. His round eyes stared up accusingly at the circling yellow dot in the clouds above, which screeched as if to mock him.</p><p>But his most prominent feature by far was his nose. It was at least four inches long, and crooked, as if it had been broken several times. The Lord of Liars himself.</p><p>Usopp seemed to notice them for the first time, his eyes lingering on Valeria. “Hey Vally. You’re not still mad about last time, are you?”</p><p>Valeria looked down at her clothes, the once pristine silk now muddy and waterlogged. She wiped a bit of dirt from her face, and drew one of her swords, pointing it at Usopp’s throat.</p><p>Jackie sighed. The next few months were going to be very long...</p>
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